Downtown Story Map Launches

Hear about Here: [HERE]SAY Water Street Project launches June 19th

St. John's is a landscape not only of streets and buildings, but of human experience -- this is what makes up the unique character of our city. The place is full of stories, but they’re usually kept inside the heads of those of us who live here. That is about to change.

Most city maps provide a satellite view or a graphic layout of the street grid. [HERE]SAY is something new: a story map.
It features personal stories set in specific locations in the Downtown.

As of June 19th, strollers on Water Street will find [HERE]SAY signs on 26 light poles. Each sign will display a phone number and a 3-digit code. Pedestrians will be able to dial the number on their mobile phone, punch in the code, and hear a story about the very spot where they are standing. St. John’s residents have contributed more than forty personal Water Street memories.

The map may also be accessed online at www.heresay.ca

The unusual project is created by Chris Brookes and Dale Jarvis with designer Mike Mouland, and is affiliated with the Toronto-based oral history project [murmur].

The project will be officially launched at Bianca’s Lounge, 171 Water Street on June 19th between 5-7 pm.
The public is invited.

For further information contact
Dale Jarvis: storytelling@nf.sympatico.ca
or Chris Brookes: 709-576-0359

Facebook event listing at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109677097929&ref=nf

The Best Small-Boat Seamen in the Navy

In concert with Dr. David Parsons, Admiralty House Museum is hosting the book launch of The Best Small-Boat Seamen in the Navy, written by W. David Parsons and Ean J. Parsons and published by DRC Publishers. The book chronicles the Newfoundland Division of the Royal Naval Reserve between 1900 and 1922.

This event will be held Thursday June 11 between 5:00-7:00pm. There will be no charge for admission.

http://www.admiraltymuseum.ca/

CRANKY - Film Release

The World Premiere of the new film CRANKY is on Tuesday June 9th at 6 pm EST / 7:30 pm NL time and 7 pm PT on the CBC documentary Channel. CRANKY is part of documentary's Freeview offerings; if you have a digital box or satellite you can see documentary without having to subscribe.

CRANKY is an endearing story of three teams competing to be local champions in an open sea race like no other in North America. The Great Fogo Island Punt Race to There and Back is not a challenge for the faint of heart. Success is as much personal endurance as it is ocean-savvy strategy. But the wild card this year might be a new punt built by one of the team members especially for the race. It's a little tippy - or "cranky" as the locals call it - and just might give the boys from Change Islands the advantage. But then again - it is never just a punt that wins a race.

Shot against the dramatic and beautiful backdrop of Fogo Island and Change Islands off Newfoundland and Labrador, the film is also a poignant look at an island way of life and a seafaring culture that has changed little over the centuries.

See the trailer at www.CrankyTheFilm.ca

Doctoral Research on Coming Out Stories

A PhD student in the Memorial Folklore Department is looking for people to interview as part of her dissertation work. See below:

Hello!
My name is Sarah Moore and I am pursuing a doctoral degree in Folklore at Memorial University of Newfoundland. My thesis focuses on the stories that LGBT persons tell about their experiences in coming out and how coming out stories may change at various times in their life. I am looking to collect these stories in order to better understand narrative and the telling of coming out stories by Newfoundlanders. Are you interested in talking to me? Interviews will be audio recorded, but may be anonymous if you wish. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,
Sarah Moore

Email: sarahmoore1@hotmail.com

Phone: 743-5889

Mi'kmaw Oral History Project Underway

The Federation of Newfoundland Indians has teamed up with Memorial University this summer to index and digitize oral history interviews on traditional land use conducted by FNI a decade ago. Two Mi'kmaw students - Christopher Crocker and Tyler Duhart - have been hired and trained by Janice Esther Tulk of the Mi'kmaq College Institute (Cape Breton University) to catalogue these interviews in a comprehensive database, making this important body of traditional knowledge searchable for future FNI, community, educational, and research purposes. Once the database is complete, Christopher and Tyler will begin digitizing some 682 90-minute cassette tapes to preserve the data contained on them for the future.

The many ways in which this material might be used in the future is not yet fully known; however, it is anticipated they will be of great interest to the Mi'kmaw community given their information on medicines and traditional remedies, best hunting and berry-picking grounds, harvesting practices for various seafood, Mi'kmaw placenames, and the location of burial and other sacred grounds. The information contained in these interviews may also be of use in genealogical studies and the compilation of family histories. But most importantly, the voices of Elders now passed away and the voices of community leaders of the future have been captured for the years to come.

Anyone interested in learning more about this initiative is invited to contact Janice Esther Tulk at janice_tulk@cbu.ca.

ICH Update for June 2009

In this month's edition of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Update, ethnomusicologist Dr. Beverley Diamond wins the prestigious Trudeau Fellowship, Diana Quinton helps communities tell their local stories, the Town of Placentia salutes one of its living treasures (and my favourite eel trapper) Mr Freeman Upshall, an 18-year-old Labrador student wins a Women's Institute scholarship with an essay on local heritage, notes on a meal of fish from the Great Northern Peninsula, and those fences keep on wrigglin'!

The monthly intangible cultural heritage newsletter of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador can be downloaded from:

http://tinyurl.com/mkapp6

Looking for information on Luke Gaulton

Recorded at the Arts and Culture Centre, St. John's, Newfoundland, circa 1991. If anyone has any information on this man, or where he is from, please let me know.

Introduction to Exhibit Design Workshop

Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador Workshop
Introduction to Exhibit Design
Thursday - Friday, 18 – 19 June, 2009
Location: Point Amour Lighthouse Provincial Historic Site, Labrador

This two day workshop is designed for museum staff and volunteers involved in the development and design of exhibitions. It is intended for those who have limited experience working on exhibit projects and would like to expand their knowledge and skills. Participants will receive an overview of the processes involved in creating a quality exhibition experience for the visitors.

Participants will explore:
- exhibit development from exhibit planning and concept development
- overview of exhibit design techniques
- exhibit resource and budget development
- the role of various media formats and interactive features in exhibition
design
- hiring and working with exhibit contractors and specialists.

Instructor: Marni Mahle, Interpretive Planner and Exhibit Designer
Enrolment Limits: Maximum of 15
Registration fees: $70 for MANL members, $95 for non-members
Registration Deadline: June 8, 2009

Catherine Rice
Professional Development Coordinator
Museum Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
Tel: (709) 722 9034
Fax: (709) 722 9035
Email: crice@nf.aibn.com
Website: http://www.manl.nf.ca

Looking for information on "paderah"?

I had an interesting question from Kathleen Tucker, who is the researcher on SABRI's oral history project in and around St. Anthony. She asked if I'd ever heard of anything called "paderah" pronounced PA’-de-ra (rhymes with ‘ha’). I said it was a bit of a mystery to me, and she has written to the local paper asking for help. Here is her letter:

"Years ago when the fishery was in full swing, fishermen set aside their nets at dinnertime to cook a simple meal. Often the meal was cooked in a bake pot, either on board the vessel or on the beach. A fire was lit and salt pork was diced into the pot. When it was sizzling, the fishermen might have added onions, fresh cod, and fresh bread. The older fishermen often cooked up this marvelous meal while the younger fellows looked for driftwood along the shore to use as spoons. Once the meal was cooked, they’d all sit around the bake pot and eat their meal.

Would anyone be able to tell me if they cooked this meal, how they cooked it, and what they called it? The name for the meal might differ from community to community, but I’m sure many of you have enjoyed this simple dinner while fishing. And, perhaps many of you still do."

The dish sounds similar to fish and brewis, but made with fresh cod and fresh bread. If you have a memory to share, you can email me, or leave a comment on this post.

For info on fish and brewis, you can check out:
http://www.billcasselman.com/cwod_archive/brewis.htm
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_and_brewis



UPDATE: May 13, 2009.

William Lee of Petty Harbour writes, "when my dad cooked in the boat when fishing it was simply called a fish feed, and consisted of fresh cod, salt beef and salt pork,potatoes, the cod's tongue and roe sack (britchant), and hard bread. Some times they would add a mackerel or small salmon. The cooking was done aboard the boat, and the time would vary but mostly it would be around nine or ten AM ,as they were on the go from 3:30AM.
PS. the fire was contained in what we called a galley, which is simply an old metal wash tub with a sod covering the bottom."